Rich and Famous
by Open Casket Ceremony
Summary: Usui Horohoro has it all...riches, fame, and he's engaged to the lovely Tao Ren. However, fame comes with a painful price, and Horohoro is about to find out about it...the hard way.
1. Star

Author's Note: Sorry for my excessively long absence. I just got back yesterday from a vacation, and when I was on the airplane, the idea for this story came to me. I will also continue my other fics as soon as possible.

* * *

His throat was raw, his forehead was drenched with sweat. His fingers were screaming with pain, his heart was pounding, he was exhausted. But yet, Usui Horohoro was having the time of his life, doing what he loved the most. 

Playing a concert.

It seemed like such a long time ago that he had first picked up a guitar, on account of some coaxing from Yoh. He had learned to play a few simple chords, and then he had learned to play a very simple nursery song.

Ren had encouraged him and told him he was doing well. Ren _never_ compliments anyone, so Horohoro was eager to get better, to make Ren happy. And now, a few years later, he was famous as hell, travelling everywhere, playing his bright blue electric guitar and singing about stupid things. Usui Horohoro was a star.

After screaming out the final lyrics to the last song of the performance, Horohoro flashed his audience a broad grin, the adrenaline still rushing through his veins.

"Thank you!" he shouted, bowing several times. "Thank you, everyone, thanks for coming!"

With that, he pulled his guitar strap over his head and tucked the instrument under his arm, and simply headed backstage, the delighted screams of his audience still ringing in his ears.

As he made his way down through the corridor, paparazzi snapped pictures of him from every side. He liked the attention - all the camera flashes, all the cameramen begging him to look their direction, TV reporters asking him to comment on the concert.

As he smugly basked in the pool of fame, he felt a hand gently touch his elbow. He turned, and his smile widened.

"Ren!"

"You...You did well," the Chinese boy commented.

Grinning, Horohoro turned to Ren, forgetting entirely about the cameras flashing from every side. "Why're you here?" he inquired curiously, taking the boy's hand. Ren was also a well known celebrity, he was a singer and had gotten quite famous recently.

"I flew in from Shanghai directly after my gig," Ren explained. "I heard you were playing here, so I came as quickly as I could."

A reporter from a news station was upon them in an instant.

"Horohoro, you seem to be in good relations with the lovely Tao Ren," he shouted, trying to be heard above all the shouting and screaming. The news station's cameraman was frantically following the reporter, making sure to capture every moment. "Are the two of you friends?"

"Friends?" Horohoro winked at the camera. "Let me tell you something, reporter-san...We're much more than friends. Ren is my fiance."

"Did you hear that, ladies and gentlemen? His fiance! Usui Horohoro is engaged!"

"You bet I'm engaged," Horohoro answered in a sing-song voice. He turned away, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Let's get out of here, Ren. I need an Advil, I feel like shit..."

* * *

Ren sighed for the hundreth time that day. "Horohoro...did you honestly have to make such a big deal out of it?" 

"Out of what?" the Ainu asked innocently, looking up from his coffee. It had already been a few weeks since he had gotten an apartment of his own and Ren had moved in with him. Not that they really lived together much, since Ren always had concerts in China. But for those few occasions that Ren was not busy, such as this day, Horohoro was always sure to savor them.

"Of this." Ren threw the magazine onto the breakfast table in front of Horohoro, who peered at it and feigned surprise.

The headline wrote "HE'S ENGAGED" in huge blue letters. Plastered across the magazine's cover was a picture some cameraman had shot of the pair the day before after Horohoro's concert.

"Oops. Must have slipped out," he giggled, opening the magazine to the article. He then procceeded to read it aloud.

"Last night, it was discovered that Usui Horohoro, world famous rock star, was engaged. After keeping this secret for who knows how long, he finally revealed it to reporters shortly after his concert. But who is his lucky fiance? None other than Chinese singing sensation, Tao Ren. They are the new most talked about couple, and the attention of the public and media is enough to rival even the American pairing of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes..."

Horohoro started laughing quite loudly. "You hear that Ren? We're so much cooler than those American movie stars..."

"Can you please not act like it's a laughing matter?" Ren demanded, pursing his thin lips. "The press will be all over us, and you can say goodbye to any privacy you wish to keep from this point forward-"

"Oh, come on," Horohoro insisted, cutting Ren off. "You act like everything's the end of the goddamn world or something...Seriously, Ren. Lighten up."

"But..." Ren answered quietly. "You promised me, Horokeu. You promised me you'd try not to bring..._us_ to attention."

Horohoro swallowed. It was never good when Ren called him "Horokeu."

"Look, Ren," he answered. "I'm really sorry, okay? I'll make it up to you..."

"How?"

"Like this."

Ren let out a startled yelp as Horohoro lunged at him from across the table, knocking him out of his chair and onto the floor.

"Horohoro!? What are you-!?"

"Shush, Ren-chan," the Ainu grinned, looking triumphantly down at the boy underneath him. He then procceeded to press his lips against Ren's, enjoying the the boy's muffled protests and complaints.

As soon as Horohoro broke the kiss, Ren pouted and said, "Get off me. You're heavy."

"Fine, fine..." Horohoro rose to his feet, but right as he was about to stand, he felt a foot slam into the area where it hurts the most.

His eyes bugged out and he crumpled back to the floor. Ren's pout turned upwards into a small grin as he began laughing.

"S-Stop laughing," Horohoro spluttered. "I'm in pain, and it's not nice..."

"You told me to lighten up," Ren pointed out.

"Oh."

Usui Horohoro couldn't be happier. He was rich, famous, and engaged to the love of his life.

What could possibly go wrong?


	2. Plotter

Author's Note: Some of you are very, very, very smart indeed. :)

* * *

"Oyamada, what is the meaning of this?" 

Oyamada Manta peered up from a stack of documents towards the magazine that had been thrust into his range of vision.

"It's a magazine," he answered dully, returning to his paperwork.

"I meant, _what is the meaning_ of this?"

Manta looked up again, uninterested. "It means that Asakura Hao is history, and Usui Horohoro is the star of today," he answered. "Please, Hao. I'm trying to get some work done here."

Unable to resist the spotlight, Hao had gotten himself famous, and his manager was none other than Manta himself. But now, Hao was extremely pissed that someone else had stolen his hard-earned spotlight - once again.

"Why is it that everyone's always ranting on and on about Usui? _Oh, Usui Horohoro's the best. Oh, Usui Horohoro's so talented. Oh, joy, Usui Horohoro got himself engaged to Tao Ren, huzzah. _Usui Horohoro this, Usui Horohoro that! I am sick of it."

Hao slammed his fist onto Manta's desk, causing a precariously perched cup of coffee to jump from its position and spill onto the floor. Manta blinked.

The fire shaman angrily paced up and down his manager's office, fuming and venting to no one in particular.

"Kami damn that blue-haired shallow-minded pretty boy," he hissed. "I'll ruin him, I swear, I will ruin him..."

"Do be quiet. I'm trying to _work,_" Manta muttered as he scrawled across a sheet of paper with a fancy ballpoint pen.

"Oyamada, who is Usui's manager?"

Manta failed to look up this time as he answered, "That Faust guy...I personally don't like him much, but-"

"And this Faust is also that Tao Ren's manager as well, right?"

"Correct as always," Manta sighed, drumming his fingers on his desk. "And do you have a point, exactly?"

"Arrange with Faust for Tao to have a private chat with me," Hao commanded. "I'd like to talk with him...in my home."

"So, _do you have a point, exactly?_"

Hao gave his manager a winning smile. "I'll destroy Usui's career...and his precious little fiance is nothing more than a tool I can use to my advantage...and his disadvantage."

Manta sighed. The last time Hao had come up with some stupid spotlight-stealing plot, it had resulted in a disastrous lawsuit with American star Lindsay Lohan. Nevertheless, he dismissed Hao with a wave of his hand and picked up the phone to make the call.

* * *

"Stop it, Horokeu." 

Ren swatted the cigarette from Horohoro's fingers, sending the offending object flying towards the opposite side of the room.

Horohoro gulped. Ren had called him "Horokeu" again. Meaning he was not happy.

"I've told you so many times not to smoke," Ren scolded. "It's a vile habit and it's bad for your health and mine. Maybe _you_ won't die from lung cancer but I can get second-hand smoke, do you understand? Just look at that Britney Spears. What has smoking gotten her? Twice the wrinkles and twice the ugliness, I can tell you."

"Sorry," Horohoro answered. "I can't resist."

"You fool," Ren snapped. "Have you already gotten yourself addicted to the nicotine? Damn it, I'm not going to buy you any packs of nicotine gum or nicotine patches or whatever you smokers use these days to kick the habit..."

"I'm not a smoker," Horohoro protested. "I've only had four or so cigs in my whole entire life, I swear."

"It only takes one to get hooked."

"What are you, my nanny?"

"Yes, I am your goddamn nanny, you naughty boy."

"I can be so much naughtier, Ren," Horohoro answered.

"Save it for later, Horokeu. I'm in no mood for your childish-"

At that moment, Ren's cell phone rang. Unfortunately, Ren is one of those guys who pick those totally obnoxious ringtones.

"One sec," the Chinese boy muttered as he reached into his pocket, flipping open his phone and turning away from Horohoro. "Hello?"

Ren blinked. "What? Right now? Faust, please. I just got some time off...Oh, come on. Tell him...Tell him I'm out of town...What? Goddamn it Faust, why don't you consult me before you make arrangements? Fine, fine, I'll be there."

Ren muttered unhappily under his breath as he pocketed his phone. "I'm sorry, Horohoro," he said, standing up. "That shithead Hao has something to talk to me about."

"Aww," Horohoro whined. "No fair. Stay with me."

"I can't. I'm sorry." Ren pulled on his coat and took his keys from the table. And then he was gone.

Horohoro frowned. It wasn't every day that they both had free time to spend together, and then some other stupid celebrity had gone and spoiled it.

At least Ren had stopped calling him Horokeu.


	3. Attack

"Sit down, Ren-chan."

"Don't call me that," Ren replied quietly. "I don't like you acting so familiar with me." Nevertheless, he took a seat in one of Hao's large plush couches as he was told. He didn't like the feeling of this at all. Why, all of a sudden, out of the blue, had Hao wanted to "have a little chat" with him?

"Would you like something to drink?" Hao asked, seating himself next to Ren, who instinctively scooted further away. "Coffee? Tea? Juice? Or, milk, perhaps?"

"I'm fine," Ren answered. "Get to the point, please. I'm very busy today."

Hao's expression darkened for a moment, but his gracious smile was back in an instant. "Of course," he replied smoothly. "I wouldn't even _dream_ of keeping you apart from your beloved Horohoro for _too_ long."

Ren's eyes narrowed. What was Hao thinking?

"So, you're engaged now, aren't you?" Hao shifted himself closer to Ren so that if he leaned just a little bit more forward, their foreheads would touch. He gripped the boy's arm tightly, his smile expanding. "Congratulations."

"I...I would appreciate it if you could keep your distance from me. Please."

"You're polite, as always, Ren-chan. That's what I like about you."

"I'm sure you recall that I've already asked you not to call me that."

"Of course I recall. I'm terribly sorry, and I do hope you will find it within you to forgive me." His grip on Ren's arm tightened.

Ren winced slightly in pain. "Please...don't touch me."

"I'm sorry," Hao answered insincerely. "I didn't realize I was touching you." He released Ren, pleased with his handiwork. His grip had left fresh bruises on the pale flesh. Ren immediately withdrew his arm and pretended not to notice the bruises.

There was a long silence.

Before Hao finally, without warning, lunged forward and siezed Ren's face between his hands, pulling him closer, close enough so that he could viciously press his lips to Ren's.

Ren's eyes widened in shock in panic before he shoved Hao away from him and scrambled off the couch, backing away as if Hao had suddenly started spewing radioactive goop from his nostrils. "S-Stay away from me," he stammered.

"I find that a very difficult request," Hao smirked, rising from the couch and heading straight for his prey.

Ren kept backing away, unsure of what to do, terrified that Hao would hurt him - or worse. He found himself backing into a wall, and Hao was upon him in an instant, pinning him there with his arms and steely gaze.

"Ren-chan, Ren-chan," the older shaman tutted, tilting Ren's chin upwards with his index finger, forcing the boy to look him in the eye. "You're not very nice, are you?" A sinister smirk crossed his lips.

"Mean little children ought to be punished."

Without warning, he slapped Ren across the face. Hard.

The impact was enough to send the boy sprawling to the floor, landing on the expensive carpet.

"Hao! What are you doing!?" Ren yelped, but before he could let out another statement, Hao reached down and grabbed a fistful of his deeply colored purple-black locks, jerking him back to his feet and drawing from him a yelp of pain.

"You are nothing," Hao hissed, smiling broadly at Ren. "Your fiance is nothing."

"Let me go, you bastard," Ren hissed. Hao only ignored him.

With his free hand, he dug his fingernails into Ren's cheek, dragging them across the flesh, creating a row of deep, raw, bloody gashes.

"You are both pathetic." He threw Ren roughly back to the floor, pleased with himself.

Ren staggered to his feet, his hand pressed to his cheek in a vain effort to stop the bleeding.

"The world will know about your mishap tomorrow, I will make sure of it," Hao continued casually. "And if anyone asks...I had nothing to do with your little injuries. If you must answer to the media...then Usui Horohoro did this to you. Do you get my point? Do you understand?"

"I'm not going to lie to them," Ren spat. "Why would I tell them that if-"

"Because," Hao answered, cutting him off. "If you don't...then I will kill your dear fiance."

Ren's eyes widened.

"Don't underestimate me, Tao. I fight dirty. Very, very, very _dirty. _Now get out of my sight."

The next day, Horohoro was extremely confused to see a new magazine headline.

_"Is Tao Ren Being Abused by his Fiance?"_


End file.
